Annual Holiday Allowance

[chrislaa]

Hei everybody,

I wonder if somebody could help me with a question I have about Finnish employment. My girlfriend is Finnish and has just started her first job after University at a company in Tampere (I'm still a student). We're currently having an argument about her holiday allowance!

As I understand it, Finnish holiday allowance means that in your first year of employment, you are entitled to 2 days (paid) holiday for every month that you work. After your first year, that goes up to 2.5 days per month.

So... my girlfriend who started a job on the 1st April 2012 can earn 24 days paid holiday up to 31 March 2013.

However, my girlfriend reckons that she is only allowed to take her holidays from 1st January 2013. i.e. she isn't allowed take any days off work for 9 months! Can this be true?

As I understand the rules, for every month you get 2 days entitlement, which you can then take whenever (straight away, if you want). For example, my girlfriend has worked April and May (and some of June), so she is entitled to 4 days holiday, which I was hoping we could use for a visit to the UK this summer. However, my girlfriend insists that she isn't allowed to take any of those days until next year.

Could someone settle this argument for us?! Many thanks!!!


Chris (and Kaisla)

[Rip]

Your girlfriend is right. The time she is working between 1st of April 2012 and 31st of March 2013 determines her vacation allowance for the following holiday period (really from May 2nd 2013 onwards, but by mutual consent one can spend them starting from beginning of January). Any summer vacation she is having this summer is going to be of the unpaid kind.

[Rosamunda]

...yep, and this is true in many European countries, it is not particular to Finland.

[chrislaa]

Thanks for the replies! I'm just suprised that - in effect - you could work for a year without being able to take any paid leave. Kaisla is (quite rightly) bragging about being correct!

Chris

[Upphew]

Thanks for the replies! I'm just suprised that - in effect - you could work for a year without being able to take any paid leave.

This is how it was done back in the day: first you earn it, then you spend it. I know it sound weird.

[chrislaa]

Thanks for the replies! I'm just suprised that - in effect - you could work for a year without being able to take any paid leave.

This is how it was done back in the day: first you earn it, then you spend it. I know it sound weird.

Haha, I guess that's my student mentality!

In seriousness, though, I thought that after 2 months, you have earned 4 days leave which you'd be able to take. It's more like "first you earn it, then you wait for a year, and then you can take a day off for a rest!".

[Mook]

Although, when joining a company many people negotiate holidays for the 1st year (either paid or unpaid)